JP2003161988A - Composite reflector stroboscope and digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To expand the emission range of light without making the size of a composite reflector stroboscope large by effectively irradiating a front side by controlling the light emitted from a xenon tube by a simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: In the composite reflector stroboscope by which the light emitted from the xenon tube 12 is made incident on a cover lens 14 through a reflector 16 and incident light is diffused by the cover lens 14 so as to irradiate an objectc, a reflecting member 19 is provided between the xenon tube 12 and the cover lens 14. The reflecting member 19 is bent on the side of the cover lens 14 so as to keep the specified radius of curvature, and a surface on the side of the xenon tube 12 has high reflectance because chromium plating is applied, so that the light emitted from the xenon tube 12 is reflected to the side of the reflector 16. Thus, nearly entire light emitted from the xenon tube 12 is made incident on the cover lens 14 by controlling an irradiating direction through the reflector 16. Then, the front side is effectively irradiated with the light emitted from the xenon tube 12 by the simple constitution. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a compound reflector strobe for reflecting light from a light source by a reflector having a predetermined radius of curvature and irradiating a subject, and a digital camera to which the compound reflector strobe is applied.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a compound reflector strobe used in a camera, particularly a digital camera, a strobe which reflects light emitted from a xenon tube by a reflector and distributes the light using a Fresnel lens or the like has been proposed. .

The external appearance of a digital camera is formed by associating a front body to which a lens unit is attached with a back body provided with an opening for viewing a monitor image such as an LCD.

Further, the front body is provided with a photographing shutter button, and the photographer determines the photographing angle of the subject while looking at the monitor screen or looking into the viewfinder, and at the time of determination, the photographing shutter button. Operate (press) to shoot.

An opening is formed in the upper part of the front body, and a composite reflector strobe (hereinafter, strobe light emitting unit) is provided.

In the strobe light emitting unit, the light emission control board and the light emitting portion are housed in a rectangular block-shaped case and integrated. On the front side of the digital camera of the case, a cutting for refracting light emitted from the light emitting portion of the strobe light emitting unit is performed, and a Fresnel lens having a function of dispersing output light is fitted.

A xenon tube is used as the light source of the light emitting portion of the strobe light emitting unit. On the rear side of the digital camera of the xenon tube, a reflector is provided so as to surround the rear half of the xenon tube in the radial direction. The reflector is made by bending a rectangular plate-shaped metal or resin, has a predetermined radius of curvature, and has a surface plated so as to reflect light.

Here, the effective shooting range is set in the digital camera. The effective shooting range varies depending on the type and performance of the lens unit included in the digital camera. Also, the effective shooting range varies depending on the shooting conditions even with the same digital camera.

[0009] For example, if sufficient brightness is secured outdoors for shooting in fine weather, it is possible to shoot within the effective shooting range, but it is taken indoors at night or in rainy weather. In this case, sufficient brightness cannot be secured for shooting, and shooting becomes difficult even within the effective shooting range.

As described above, when shooting in a dark environment such as indoors at night or in rainy weather, in order to enable shooting within the effective shooting range, in synchronization with the operation of the shutter button for shooting. , Light is emitted from the xenon tube of the strobe light emitting unit built into the digital camera. Most of the emitted light is irradiated to the rear side of the digital camera, reflected by a reflector, and incident on the Fresnel lens. The light incident on the Fresnel lens is ideally distributed by cutting on the Fresnel lens and is irradiated on the subject.

[0011]

However, some of the light emitted from the light source enters the Fresnel lens without passing through the reflector. The light is incident on the Fresnel lens without any restrictions such as controlling the irradiation direction, and the light spreads unnecessarily, and the irradiation distance cannot be lengthened. It was

In consideration of the above facts, the present invention controls the emitted light from the xenon tube to effectively irradiate it in the forward direction with a simple structure, so that the size of the composite reflector strobe light is not increased. An object of the present invention is to obtain a composite reflector strobe capable of achieving a long reach and a digital camera to which the composite reflector strobe is applied.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compound reflector strobe for reflecting light from a light source by a reflector having a predetermined radius of curvature and irradiating the subject with light. A cover lens which is provided on the side of the irradiation direction to protect the light source and diffuses the incident light to control the light distribution when the reflected light from the reflector enters, and the light source and the cover lens. And a reflection member that is provided between the reflection member and the reflection member and reflects the light from the light source toward the reflector with a predetermined radius of curvature.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the reflecting member is provided between the light source and the cover lens, and the emitted light of the light source is reflected toward the reflector with a predetermined radius of curvature.
Most of the light emitted from the light source is incident on the cover lens via the reflector. The light that enters the Fresnel lens is
Since the irradiation direction is controlled by the predetermined radius of curvature of the reflector, it is possible to effectively irradiate the light forward, and it is possible to lengthen the reaching distance of the emitted light without enlarging the size of the composite reflector strobe.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the reflecting member is provided with a concave portion on the light source side surface of the cover lens, and the concave portion is plated. I am trying.

According to the invention of claim 2, the reflecting member of the invention of claim 1 is provided on the surface of the cover lens on the light source side, and the light from the light source can be reflected to the reflector with a simple structure. . Further, the number of parts and the number of assembling steps can be reduced as compared with the case where the reflecting member is provided as a separate body.

The invention described in claim 3 is a digital camera to which the composite reflector strobe according to claim 1 or 2 is applied.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the light emitting surface can be made smaller for a small digital camera, the degree of freedom in design can be increased without obstructing the design.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION (First Embodiment) FIG.
A digital camera 28 including the strobe light emitting unit 10 according to the present embodiment is shown.

The digital camera 28 includes the lens unit 2
The front body 22 to which 0 is attached and the back body 26 such as an LCD that allows a monitor image to be seen are brought into contact with each other to form the outer appearance.

The front body 22 is provided with a photographing shutter button 24, and the photographer can take a photograph at the time when the photographer decides the photographing angle of the subject while looking at the monitor screen or focusing. The shutter button 24 is operated (pressed) to take a picture.

As the operation of the photographing shutter button 24, the function is generally such that the focus is fixed in the half-pressed state and the photographing is executed in the fully-pressed state.

An opening is formed in the upper portion of the front body 22 and is closed by a lid 23. A composite reflector strobe (hereinafter referred to as strobe light emitting unit) 10 is disposed in the opening.

In the strobe light emitting unit 10, a light emission control board (not shown) and a light emitting portion 10A are housed in a rectangular block-shaped case 10B and integrated. The lid 23 is provided with a rectangular opening 23A, and a glass cover lens 14 is fitted therein. Cover lens 14
Is subjected to predetermined cutting to diffuse the light incident from the light emitting unit 10A and irradiate the subject.

As shown in FIG. 2, the light emitting portion 10A of the stroboscopic light emitting unit 10 has a xenon tube 12 as a light source.
Is equipped with. Further, a reflector 16 which is curved with a predetermined radius of curvature is provided so as to surround the rear half of the digital camera 28 of the xenon tube 12 in the radial direction.
A surface of the reflector 16 on the side of the xenon tube 12 is plated to reflect light.

The reflector 16 is provided with a notch 15 which is used after the light emitting portion 10A is assembled. As shown in FIG. 3 (A), the notches 15 are provided at both ends in the width direction of the flat plate. The reflector 16 is formed by bending along the chain line in FIG. 3 (A), and the reflecting surface 18 curved with a predetermined radius of curvature can be obtained as shown in FIG. 3 (B).

The substantially circular portions 17 of the notch 15 provided at both ends of FIG. 3 (A) have a function as a support for both ends of the xenon tube 12 after assembly (bending), and also serve as a xenon tube. It is used as a routing space for twelve wirings (not shown). Further, the arc-shaped portion 32 of the cut 15 is
After bending, the reflecting member 19 is inserted to support the reflecting member 19.

Therefore, the reflecting member 19 is the xenon tube 1
2 will be provided on the cover lens 14 side. The reflecting member 19 is curved so as to be convex toward the cover lens 14 side with a predetermined radius of curvature, and is provided so as to surround the cover lens 14 side in the radial direction of the xenon tube 12. In other words, the reflection member 19 shields the light emitted from the xenon tube 12 from directly reaching the cover lens 14. In addition, the concave side of the reflecting member 19 is plated with chrome to form a high-reflecting surface so that light is reflected toward the reflector 16.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below.

First, predetermined notches 15 are formed on both ends of the flat plate in the width direction, and the reflector 1 is bent.
6 is formed. Xenon tube 12 for reflector 16
Is attached, and both ends of the xenon tube 12 are supported by the substantially circular portion 17 of the cut 15.

Next, the reflecting member 19 is attached to the reflector 16 to which the xenon tube 12 is attached, and both ends of the reflecting member 19 are supported by the arcuate portion 32 of the cut 15 to assemble the light emitting portion 10A.

The assembled light emitting portion 10A is housed in the case 10B of the strobe light emitting unit 10 and arranged in the opening of the lid 23 in which the cover lens 14 is fitted in the opening 23A of the digital camera 28.

The photographer determines the photographing angle of the subject while looking at the monitor screen on the back body 26 of the digital camera 28 or looking into the viewfinder, and operates the photographing shutter button 24 to photograph.

Here, the digital camera 28 has different focusing methods depending on the type of the lens unit 20, and the type of the lens unit 20 includes a monocular type and a compound eye type.

Some monocular lenses focus on a relatively wide range of subjects, while compound ones have a wider range and a wider range by adjusting the relative positional relationship of a plurality of lenses having different performances such as focal length. The subject can be focused with high accuracy. Depending on the type and performance of the lens unit 20, a different effective shooting range is set for each digital camera.

Further, the effective shooting range varies depending on the shooting conditions even for the same digital camera 28. For example, if sufficient brightness is secured for shooting outdoors in fine weather, shooting within the effective shooting range is possible. It is possible.

On the other hand, when shooting in a room such as at night or in rainy weather, sufficient brightness for shooting cannot be ensured, and it becomes difficult to shoot even within the effective shooting range.

In order to enable shooting within the shooting range even when the surroundings are dark, such as indoors at night or in rainy weather, the digital camera 28 is built in in synchronization with the operation of the shooting shutter button 24. Light is generated from the xenon tube 12 of the strobe light emitting unit 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, the light emitted from the xenon tube 12 is directed toward the reflecting member 19 and the reflector 16. On the reflecting surface 19, the light emitted from the xenon tube 12 is reflected to the reflecting surface 18 of the reflector 16 on the concave side having a high reflectance.

Reflector 16 directly from xenon tube 12
The emission direction of the emitted light reaching the reflector 16 and the emitted light reflected from the reflecting surface 19 and reaching the reflector 16 is adjusted by the reflecting surface 18 of the reflector 16 and is incident on the cover lens 14. Incident light is diffused by the cutting performed on the cover lens 14 and is irradiated onto the subject as shown by an arrow B in FIG.

As described above, almost all the light is adjusted by the reflector 16 and emitted from the cover lens 14, so that the light distribution characteristic as designed can be obtained. (Second Embodiment) The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the configuration will be omitted.

FIG. 5 shows a digital camera 28 provided with a strobe light emitting unit 30 according to the second embodiment. In the strobe light emitting unit 30, a light emission control circuit (not shown) and a light emitting section 30A are housed in a rectangular block-shaped case 30B and integrated. The strobe light emitting unit 30 is closed by the lid 23,
A cover lens 34 is fitted into the opening 23A of the lid 23.

As shown in FIG. 6, the light emitting portion 3 of the cover lens 34 fitted in the opening 23A of the lid 23 is shown.
A band-shaped recess extending in the axial direction of the xenon tube 12 is formed on the surface on the 0A side, and the light emitting unit 30 has a predetermined radius of curvature.
The reflection surface 36 is curved toward the emission light irradiation direction of A. The reflecting surface 36 is a high-reflecting surface plated with chrome, and reflects the light from the xenon tube 12 of the light emitting section 30A toward the reflector 16 of the light emitting section 30A.

Further, the cover lens 34 is provided with cutting (not shown), and the light incident from the light emitting portion 30A is diffused by the cutting to illuminate the subject.

The light emitting section 30A, as shown in FIG.
A xenon tube 12 is provided as a light source. Also, a reflector 1 that reflects the light emitted from the xenon tube 12.
6 is provided so as to surround the rear half of the xenon tube 12 in the radial direction.

According to the stroboscopic light emitting unit 30 of the second embodiment, when light is emitted from the xenon tube 12, the emitted light from the xenon tube 12 is reflected by the reflecting surface 36 as shown in FIG. And is directed toward the reflector 16. The light emitted to the reflecting surface 36 is reflected toward the reflector 16.

The irradiation direction of the light applied to the reflector 16 is adjusted and enters the cover lens 34, and the incident light is diffused by the cutting applied to the cover lens 34, so that the object as shown by arrow B in FIG. Is irradiated.

Thus, the light emitting portion 3 of the cover lens 34 is
By providing the reflecting surface 36 on the 0A side surface, the xenon tube 1
The emitted light from 2 can be prevented from being unnecessarily spread and applied to the subject, and can be effectively applied to the front.

Further, by providing the reflecting surface 36 on the cover lens 34, the number of parts is reduced as compared with the case where a reflecting member is provided as a separate body, so that the number of assembling steps can be reduced.

As described above, the light emitted from the xenon tube 12 is transmitted through the reflector 16 to the cover lens 14
In the composite reflector strobe that makes the light incident on the subject and diffuses the incident light by the cover lens 14 and irradiates the subject, a reflecting member 19 is provided between the xenon tube 12 and the cover lens 14. The reflecting member 19 is curved to the cover lens 14 side and has a predetermined radius of curvature, and the xenon tube 12 side is chromium-plated to have a high reflection surface, and the light emitted from the xenon tube 12 is directed to the reflector 16 side. reflect. As described above, almost all of the emitted light from the xenon tube 12 is incident on the cover lens 14 with the irradiation direction being controlled via the reflector 16. Therefore, it is possible to control the emitted light from the xenon tube 12 and irradiate it effectively forward with a simple configuration.

In each of the embodiments, the strobe light emitting unit is provided in the digital camera 28, but the strobe light emitting unit may be provided in a normal camera using a silver salt film. Be effective.

[0052]

As described above, according to the present invention, the light emitted from the xenon tube is controlled by the simple structure to effectively irradiate the light to the front side without increasing the size of the composite reflector strobe. It has an excellent effect that it is possible to obtain a composite reflector strobe capable of increasing the light reaching distance and a digital camera to which the composite reflector strobe is applied.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a digital camera equipped with a strobe light emitting unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged perspective view of a light emitting unit.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view of the light emitting unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a developed view of the reflector according to the first embodiment of the present invention before bending, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view after bending.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1 of the strobe light emitting unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a digital camera provided with a flash light emitting unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway front view of a light emitting unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cover lens according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 5 of the strobe light emitting unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 30 Strobe light emitting unit (composite reflector strobe) 12 Xenon tube (light source) 14, 34 Cover lens 16 Reflector 19, 36 Reflecting member

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G03B 15/02 G03B 15/03 G 15/03 H04N 5/225 F F21Y 103: 00 H04N 5/225 H04N 101: 00 / / F21Y 103: 00 F21M 1/00 B H04N 101: 00 R

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A composite reflector strobe for irradiating a subject by reflecting light from a light source by a reflector having a predetermined radius of curvature, the strobe strobe being provided on a side of the light source irradiating the subject and protecting the light source. In addition, when the reflected light from the reflector enters, a cover lens that diffuses the incident light to control the light distribution, is provided between the light source and the cover lens, and has a predetermined radius of curvature. A composite reflector strobe having a reflecting member that reflects light from a light source toward the reflector. 2. The composite reflector strobe according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting member is provided with a recess on the light source side surface of the cover lens, and the recess is plated. 3. A digital camera to which the composite reflector strobe according to claim 1 or 2 is applied.